This disclosure relates in general to video playback over the Internet and, but not by way of limitation, to distribution of customization files that customize playback sessions.
Embedded video players are placed into web pages to allow playback of video without leaving the browser environment. Scripting and run-time languages such as Flash™ and HTML5 are used to seamlessly integrate video playback applets into browsers or media player applications. The embedded video players can be modified with a customization file to produce a video experience for the end user. The customization file can be text or binary and includes information for locating a number of video segments that are used to produce a playback experience. Player applications or applets running on streaming devices, televisions, set top boxes, disc players, tablets, computers, etc. can also use a customization file to create the playback experience.
Video players can play a video comprised typically as a number of segments or even smaller chunks with optional ads inserted into the playback experience. Playlist video players retrieve video files specified in a customization file and sequentially play them so as to give the viewer a seamless playback experience. The video files can be stored on an origin server, ad servers, hosted by a third party, or cached on a content delivery network (CDN). The customization files are modified by designers or content distributors who might change ads inserted, bitrates, aspect ratio, overlay information, program information, etc., for example. For popular playback experiences, hosting the customization files requires a large number of servers to allow the video players to quickly and efficiently retrieve the customization files.